


Team Bonding Exercises 101

by allyflavored



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gay Keith (Voltron), Hurt Lance (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance (Voltron) Angst, Langst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Keith/Lance (Voltron), Unrequited Love, fuck voltron i hate this show, he should've snapped on the show at least once cause that was so fucked up, i'm also in pain, lance finally gets a proper apology, lance is finally happy, please i just want him to get the happiness he deserved, the whole team realized they fucked up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-19 03:35:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29868534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allyflavored/pseuds/allyflavored
Summary: “How did you... how did you know it wasn’t really us in there?”Lance sighed, looking at his team members’ faces & smiled sadly before he answered.“They were nice to me.” He said, quietly before he left the room.The team knew they had massively fucked up.~The one where the whole team finally realizes how neglectful and fucked up they had been treating Lance after he almost dies in an alternate reality Honvera trapped him in and all individually try to make it up to him to regain his trust in his friends. Lance deserved an apology and actual happiness.Fuck Voltron.
Relationships: Keith & Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 28
Kudos: 290





	1. I Knew It Wasn't Real

**Author's Note:**

> Based on two tweets I saw on my klance TL, thanks to @ruthelina_art & @katelovesvoltr1 because we all deserve to see Lance happy and given the real apologies he deserved after his friends started treating him like shit in the later seasons :^)
> 
> first time I'm attempting to write angst which i hate doing because i will literally cry to my own work but hello, here we are.
> 
> it will have multiple chapters, one for each character & their interaction with lance & this will definitely have a happy ending because I will literally combust if it doesn't.
> 
> hope you all enjoy! x

He looked like he just got back from hell.

“Lance!” He heard someone cry. Looking up, the blue paladin saw his friends, well no, his team mates across the other side of the room. They looked happy to see him, which was pretty ironic given that just 5 minutes ago he had to slaughter exact copies of them that Honvera created, thinking they could trick him, one by one. Guess she underestimated the “ _Dumb One_.”

“Hey...” He croaked out weakly, he had leaped through some weird quintessence-fueled portal to get back to the castle ship. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed since he was trapped in that weird alternate reality prison, but he doubted that the team even realized he was gone anyways.

“What happened to you? Oh my god, Lance, you’re bleeding!” Allura looked horrified. It was hard to look her in the eye. In Honerva’s trap, the princess laughed at all his jokes. She would always show him little acts of affection in her own way, gave him a kiss on the cheek once too. Every time she looked at him, her eyes seemed to sparkle, eager to hear whatever he had to say.

Lance felt his stomach twist. She had been the first one to go when the realization of the situation dawned on the blue paladin. It hadn’t been the real Allura. Heck, it hadn’t been the rest of the actual team. There was something off about each one of them. Lance had woken up inside the healing pod & was told he got hurt during a difficult mission. Afterward, things were kind of... strange? It wasn’t even in a bad way, it was kinda great actually.

At first, he thought maybe he had almost died during that mission & his friends finally realized how neglectful they’ve been towards him. He had cried after Bob’s show after being dubbed the “dumb one” & it’s not like the other paladins even seemed to disagree. Lance had closed himself off from his team a long time ago, they all had their own thing going on & he didn’t. Every time he had tried to involve himself in their activities in the past, they made him feel like a nuisance. All he was good for was forming Voltron, he guessed but that wasn’t even the full truth considering that they had one paladin too many & it was obvious that he was the disposable one.

Anyways, looking at the real Allura in front of him, eyes filled with worry made him sick to his stomach, he couldn’t forget the way she was still smiling when Lance had stabbed her through the heart.

“What the hell, Lance!? You were gone for 2 weeks! I couldn’t track down your location anywhere on my grid & I couldn’t even get a signal through your communicator! It’s like you completely disappeared!” Pidge cried out.

_I’m sure that’s what you wanted to happen._ Lance internally snide. He had taken them out next. After Allura had been stabbed & just faded away into nothingness, he was certain this was all just a trap. Somehow, he knew he had to take out their weird cloned copies to escape. The Pidge in Honvera’s trap didn’t insult him every time he opened his mouth to speak, Lance should’ve seen this as an obvious sign the first time they were sitting at the dinner table. Sue him for feeling happy that the green paladin actually wanted his opinion on the new project they were working on & even asked him to name their invention once it was complete. Turns out the smallest team member’s neck had been the easiest to snap.

  
Lance couldn’t even look them in the eye as they stood in front of him with the rest of the team.

“Yeah, buddy we were all so worried about you!” Hunk ran towards him with open arms to give him a hug. The act of affection didn’t feel warm for Lance. Not when for a moment, the gesture gave him goosebumps. For a split second, he thought he was still in Honvera’s trap & this was just a cruel cycle & he had to repeat killing off his team members one by one in round 2.0. Hunk hadn’t given him a hug in phoebs. He was too busy hanging out with his new best friend, working on their smarty-pants projects that they had deemed to hard for Lance’s tiny brain to understand. No more sleepovers, late-night talks, or video games. His best friend seemed to think hanging out with Lance would just be a waste of time. He had taken out the fake Hunk with a headshot. The poor guy had just left the kitchen holding a freshly made tray of garlic knots, saying he tried his best to re-create Lance’s mom’s famous recipe. His “best friend” would’ve never thought of doing something so heartfelt for him, at least not anymore. Lance didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

The blue paladin stiffened at his buddy’s tight embrace but Hunk didn’t seem to mind.

“I’m so glad you’re safe, but you look like you’re in pretty bad shape, let’s get you to the infirmary, yeah?” Shiro’s eyebags seemed darker than the last time Lance saw him. This guy was his hero, all he ever wanted was his validation. He wanted to show his team leader that he was worthy, that he was capable & a reliable ally. Instead, he had been yelled at for trying to speak his mind. He knows it wasn’t the real Shiro’s fault, it had been his clone but the look of seething hatred in his eyes looked all too real. Lance couldn’t help but wonder if that’s how the real Shiro felt about him too. Lance had set off to find the fake him in Honvera’s trap after finishing off Hunk. He pretended he needed a pep talk & gave Shiro an energy drink for them to share. He had laced it with poison he had found in the kitchen after leaving the yellow paladin lifeless on the floor.

The black paladin happily sat down, giving the other boy his undivided attention & began saying all these great things about Lance. The older boy told him he thought the blue paladin was destined for greatness, that there was greatness already in him, that he was a valuable member of their team. That he was amazing & that they wouldn’t know what they’d do without him. It was all Lance had ever wanted to hear. He had said this to the fake Shiro before watching him collapse onto the ground after the poison kicked in. The copy disintegrated & swept away into dust as he left. 4 down, he had one more to go.

Keith.

The real red paladin stood in front of him, frozen. He had been speechless ever since Lance had stepped out of the portal. His iridescent eyes had never been locked on anything else except him this entire time, it was like Keith couldn’t believe Lance was actually back, like he was actually real. Well now, maybe he finally knows what its like. At least now he gets a 1/187th understanding of the blue paladin's feelings every time he'd abandon him and Lance never knowing if he was coming back.

It had been the hardest one.

Cause y’know, how do you kill the guy you’ve had an unrequited crush on for years who treated you like you didn’t even exist? Out of the team, Keith didn’t beat him down every time he opened his mouth but that’s because he was gone more than half of the time on his own Mamora related missions. He had left them, had left Lance. The red paladin’s familiar words rung in his head before Lance had ended it all.

_I just don’t want to be stuck here for eternity with Lance._

The fake Keith had been in his room, welcoming the other boy in after he knocked on his door. They were sitting on his bed & Keith was asking him what was wrong. Lance knew he wasn’t real but his heart pounded anyways at the sight of the raven haired boy he had always been in love with. The red paladin had this soft-looking expression on his face, waiting for Lance to speak. There was a light tint of pink dusted on his cheeks. It was then, Lance confessed.

“Keith, I’m in love with you"

The fake paladin had the gall to look at him, surprised.

“I think I’ve felt this way for years but it took you leaving the team for the blades for me to realize it. After that, I just... I thought we missed our chance. You just... didn’t seem to look my way anymore, you were too busy I guess.” He muttered out loud, tears stung in the corner of his eyes. He knew he was sitting there, confessing to this fake Keith. He knew it was stupid but it was more for himself than anything.

After literally slaughtering his other team members, his hands grew shaky & looking at Keith now... He was scared he wouldn’t be able to do it. Keith who didn’t love him back. Keith who had said he didn’t have time for him. Keith who said he didn’t want to be stuck together with him for eternity after the blue paladin had placed his heart on a silver platter & offered it to him when he told a whole audience that he thought Keith was the future.

“Lance...” The fake red paladin called his name, god, Honvera really got his voice down to the tone just right.

“I’ve felt the exact same way.” The copy’s hand felt warm as he placed it over Lance’s. He broke into a bright beaming smile. “I love yo-“

Lance didn’t let him finish that sentence. He knew he’d break down if he did, knew he might just decide to stick around in this fucked up reality forever if he could just pretend here that Keith actually wanted him, that Keith would ever actually love him back.

~

The blue paladin sighed, his head was throbbing. He couldn’t really register whatever the real team was going on about, probably lecturing him about being careless or something. He tried to tune them back in anyways.

“...& we didn’t know what to do! The last time we saw you, Honvera was-“

Lance cut them off. “Guys, I’m actually really tired, I got trapped in this weird dimension that Honvera created & I barely escaped with the skin of my teeth.”The team went silent & the blue paladin looked up to see them blink. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“Where... where did she take you?” Allura asked, concerned.

“Um, it was this alternate reality space kind of thing that I... it looked like this okay? Completely normal at first. I woke up in a healing pod & you guys told me I just got hurt during a mission. Later on, I realized that it wasn’t real & it was all some big trap Honvera made using her creepy dark magic.”

Lance couldn’t really read his team’s expressions. They looked horrified? Confused? Concerned for his well-being?

He sighed again, swallowing more of his uneasiness so he could tell them the complete truth. “Anyways... I got out after I realized I wasn’t actually, y'know, _here_ & uh, to get out I had to like, slaughter every single one of you so looking at your real faces is actually making me kinda sick to my stomach right now.”

God, he just felt tired.

Broken, beaten down, & _tired._

The horror on his team’s faces only intensified.

“Huh?!” Hunk shrieked.

“Wait, you _murdered_ us in this weird dark reality?!” Pidge’s eyes looked like they were going to bug out of their head.

Lance nodded. “Yeah, trust me it wasn’t easy. Look, I’m not feeling too hot after all of that so I’m just gonna head to my room for a while, alright?” The blue paladin said, already turning back to leave.

“W-wait, Lance...” He stopped in his tracks when he heard Keith’s voice.

Irridescent eyes locked with blue.

“How did you... how did you know it wasn’t really us in there?”

Lance sighed, looking at his team members’ faces & smiled sadly before he answered.

“They were nice to me.” He said, quietly before he left the room.

He didn't want to stick around to see the expressions on their faces.

~

The team finally realized they had _massively_ fucked up.


	2. The Best Friend I Should’ve Been

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An apology & some freshly baked garlic knots won’t fix everything but it just might be a good start.
> 
> Hunk gathers the courage to talk to his best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Having a pretty good time writing this new fic & I’m glad you guys seem to be enjoying it so far! I’ve got a lot of ideas for what’s gonna go down but I always love receiving comments & suggestions, they’re always so appreciated! 
> 
> Hunk’s chapter (& he will also be featured in more than one scene because damn he deserves more show time in fics lol)

God, the guilt was eating Hunk alive.  


He couldn’t believe that Lance had been feeling neglected & possibly for a long time by now... but what was worse is that he hadn’t even _realized_ it. The blue paladin was his bestest friend. He had been the one to help Hunk break out of his nervous little shell, encouraged him to try new things, supported his cooking ever since he baked his first batch of cookies that went horribly wrong in 3rd grade. He vividly remembers Lance giving him a thumbs up even though he ended up puking it into the toilet five minutes later because it upset his stomach. Hunk had cried for making Lance go through that & now...

Here he was again, on the verge of tears, thinking,

_ How could I have done this to him? How could I have made Lance feel so alone? _

He replayed the blue paladin’s words over & over again in his head like a broken record.

_ They were nice to me. _

~  
  


After Lance left the room, the team stood frozen in complete silence. Hunk had been the first to break it.

“Did we... Have I not been...?”

“We fucked up.” Pidge cut him off, softly.  
  


“What _happened_ while I was gone?” Keith was glaring at them, harshly.

“Don’t look at us like that! You’re just as guilty here, alright?” Allura snapped sharply. 

“ _Excuse me_? Lance looked  _ hurt _ . I know I’ve been busy with the blades but fuck, you guys see him every fucking day!” He growled out.

“Language.” Shiro said, sternly. 

“Oh, like  _ you_ _’ve_ ever shown him that you care.” Pidge snided, crossing their arms against their chest.

“You insult him everytime he opens his mouth, you’re one to talk!” The red paladin snarled. “& what the _fuck_ , Shiro!? I told you that while I was gone... you- you promised me you’d take care of him! Look at him, Lance is-“

“ _Enough_!” Hunk roared, startling the entire group. They’ve never seen Hunk snap before, he never felt like he had a good enough reason to lose his head despite all the countless fucking alien attacks & crazy shit that’s happened to them out in space. Even Shiro looked at him completely shocked. 

“Stop fighting! We  _ hurt _ Lance, okay?! We _all_ hurt, Lance  including myself & we... we didn’t even realize it.” He croaked out, his initial steam easily cooled off. “I can’t believe... he looked so sad, guys. How could we have not noticed?” Tears stung in his eyes. The rest of the team fell silent, none of them knowing what to say. “I need to just... I’m gonna go & think about how to make it up to him. I don’t care what you guys want to do about it, but if I don’t show Lance how much I care about him, I have no right to have him call me a friend.” His bottom lip trembled as he stormed out.

Hunk spent the rest of the night in his room. He didn’t even eat. He had walked up & down the corridor of where Lance’s room was earlier, trying to gather the courage to knock on his door to talk to him but in the end, he backed out like a coward. 

He knew they had to talk about this, he should’ve realized he was hurting his best friend. When Hunk tried to reflect on his recent conversations with the blue paladin, nothing turned up. _Quiznack, when was the last time he actually ever talked to Lance besides during missions? Had he really spent all his time working on invention crap with Pidge?_

He recalls Lance strolling in for their company but wow... Hunk wouldn’t even listen to a thing he said, he was too immersed on the mechanic project in front of him. He had completely brushed Lance off to the point where the blue paladin didn’t even come around to see what he was up to anymore. The realization broke Hunk’s fucking heart & he started to sob.

Lance had whooped at the top of his lungs, hugging him when the two of them had gotten their acceptance letters from the Garrison, had been so enthusiastic about them being roommates & starting their new lives together as actual cadets in training.  


Lance had a wide smile on his face & couldn’t stop constantly congratulating his best friend for landing a spot in the Fighter Class when he... 

_ hadn’t. _

Hunk knew it had torn Lance up inside, it was his dream too, but he wouldn’t show it. Lance wasn’t the kind of guy who would let others feel bad for his personal failures & instead just wanted to celebrate someone else’s accomplishments. Lance was the greatest best friend anyone could ever ask for & Hunk... 

He had took him for granted. 

It took two weeks of Lance going missing & not knowing if he was okay or even  _ alive _ & then being told to his face how awful Lance had felt with just that statement & look on his face alone when he returned for him to realize what a horrible best friend he’s been.

~

The next day, Lance still hadn’t left his room. For a moment, Hunk worried that he had disappeared again & maybe this time on his own & on purpose. The yellow paladin was going to do everything in his power to stop that from happening. They needed to talk, they needed to have a best bro heart to heart, which they haven’t had in deca-pheobs because Hunk didn’t realize how much of a neglectful jerk he had been to him this whole time. 

He decided to whip up something in the kitchen as a little piece offering. He knew Lance was weak to his attempt at making garlic knots like his mom used to as an after school snack with whatever wack ingredients he could find to replicate it here up in space. He at least knew his buddy well enough to know the smell of the spiced fresh bread would entice him enough to move closer to the door. 

After taking three deep breaths, he finally knocked on the metal door, there was only a soft sound of shuffling behind it. At least it let Hunk know that his buddy was in there. 

“Lance?” He called out, hearing how shaky it came out. A moment passed by before he heard the blue paladin sigh as he got up, footsteps growing louder as he grew nearer to his door. He looked completely surprised to see Hunk standing there. “Hi.” Lance gave him a weak smile before he looked down at the tray of garlic knots Hunk was holding & his expression morphed into something horrific. He looked so sick seeing it that it had him taking a step back. 

“W-what’s up, buddy?” Lance croaked, not looking him in the eye. Hunk just wanted to throw his arms around his friend & start sobbing out his apologies but he knew he had to do this right. He didn’t want Lance to just forgive him out of pity or because he was too kind hearted for his own good. His buddy deserved an honest & sincere apology, & Hunk wasn’t looking to be forgiven, he just wanted Lance to know he was sorry for being such a terrible friend to him these past months.

“Can we talk? I, um, made you these cause I thought you might be hungry.” He held up the tray.

“Oh, uh, thanks...” Lance sucked in a breath & hesitantly nodded his head. “Make yourself at home.” He mumbled. 

Quiznack, Hunk needed to keep himself together & not just get snot all over his shirt right away. “Don’t you want one? I know they don’t taste exactly like your mom’s but-“

“No!” Lance suddenly jolted. “Uh I mean- ...of course, I’ll j-just have one in a bit, I’m just... I’m not hungry.” Lance said, looking like he was about to throw up when he glanced at the tray of garlic knots again. Hunk regretted making them if they were putting that painful look on the blue paladin’s face.

“Okay.” The larger boy squeaked out. An awkward silence hung over them for a while before Lance spoke up. “Did you um, need something?” Lance coughed into his fist. Hunk noticed the dark bags under his eyes, his disheveled hair. The yellow paladin was so used to seeing Lance take care of himself, he always seemed to take everything in stride, always joked around when things went wrong, Hunk should’ve known that he would have his own weak & vulnerable moments & that he should’ve been there for him. Instead, Lance felt cut off from the group & didn’t think he could go to Hunk when he needed help.

“No, Lance, I- I’m not here to ask for something, I just... I just wanted to see you & ask how you’re feeling...” 

“Oh, I’m right as rain, buddy. Nothing to worry about.” The boy smiled, how did Lance always seem to make it look so real? Sometimes, his smiles could be hard to differentiate but Hunk used to know them by the back of his hand. It seems like that’s not the case anymore...

“Lance, you went missing for 2 weeks... I can’t just act like things are back to normal all of a sudden & not know how you are! Especially after you said you were trapped in some creepy reality Honvera put you in! You should, y’know-“ Hunk gestured weakly. “We can talk about it if you want...” 

The blue paladin just shrugged. “I mean, there’s not much to talk about. I guess sorry that I made you probably worry & stuff...” 

“Not  _ probably _ , I  was _worried_. We _all_ were.” 

“Oh, yeah then sorry...” Lance said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. Jesus, he didn’t even know how to talk to Hunk anymore. They used to be inseparable. 

“Can we please talk about this?” He asked, eyes softly pleading. “Talk about what?” The blue paladin still looked at him confused. Hunk sighed. “C-c’mon man, don’t play dumb-“ He saw the other boy flinch at the word.

_ Wait,  shit. _

“Uh, did you just curse?” Lance looked at him in disbelief, an amused grin on his face. The yellow paladin didn’t realize he had spoken out loud. “I- uh, sorry I didn’t know I actually- I curse in my head all the time.” Hunk blurted out the sudden confession. It got a laugh out of his buddy.

“Jeez, seriously Hunk, what are you here for? Having a lovers quarrel with Shay or something? Did you need advice from your residential lover boy?” He teased. 

Hunk smiled at him warmly, remembering that it was hothead blue paladin who had pushed him to ask Shay out romantically. He had been nervous & wanted to back out like he always did but Lance didn’t let him & now he had Shay & they were happy. It was all thanks to his best friend.

_ “Look, my man! I know she’s like a girl that’s literally out of this world & all but you should go for it! I saw how much saving the Balmera meant to you, you should tell her how you feel! Preferably somewhere romantic! Ooh, like on top of a cliff while watching the sunset!” He crooned, excitedly._

_  
_ He hadn’t even been the one in love or about to confess. He was just genuinely excited for something good to happen for his best friend.

Hunk shook his head. “No, I’m not... I’m not having any problems with Shay, man but... I think I’ve got one with you.” Lance looked at him with wide eyes, scared. “Hunk-“ 

“Wait, let me finish please.” The yellow paladin held up his hand up gesturing for Lance to stop talking. “I really really would appreciate it if you listened to what I have to say...” The blue paladin instantly shut up, looking absolutely dejected.

“Lance, I’m sorry.” Hunk felt the weight in his chest rise a little as the words came out. “I haven’t been a good friend to you lately...” He watched the blue paladin’s head lift up, eyes shining with concern & surprise.  


“I didn’t mean to make you feel neglected or like I didn’t wanna hang out...” Hunk squeaked. “I mean that’s definitely no excuse, just because I didn’t _mean_ to do it doesn’t mean I didn’t hurt your feelings so I just, I just wanted to say I’m really _really_ sorry man.” He felt tears prick his eyes, quickly welling up. The blue paladin seemed to mirror the same expression. 

“I- I know you didn’t mean to...” Lance said, breathlessly as if he had been holding it in the whole time. “I didn’t... Y’know, I couldn’t really keep up all the mechanic stuff you & Pidge are always up to...” 

“That doesn’t mean we should’ve stopped hanging out & that’s on me! Lance, you don’t have to feel like you need to be interested in all that dorky nerd stuff we do! We should’ve tried to do something all of us could enjoy together like play video games or watch one of those weird Altean movies!”

Lance opened his mouth as if to say something but quickly closed it again.

“Buddy, I’m... I’m _really_ fucking sorry. You’ve always been there for me ever since the day we met, you have no idea how much our friendship has changed my life for the better. Hell, I wouldn’t even be here with you, defending the universe if you hadn’t dragged me out that night when I just wanted to steal some snacks in the kitchen & head back to our dorm!”

Lance chuckled weakly. “Yeah, I guess but then I sucked everyone into the other side of a wormhole & ruined everything so...”

Hunk shook his head. “Okay, stop. Please stop beating yourself up, Lance. Quiznack, yeah sure this whole saving the universe from an evil alien race & piloting space lions that can turn into one huge robot can be like, super scary & really wack but Lance, I wouldn’t have changed a single thing about that night.” Hunk continued while other boy just looked at him intently, listening as he spoke.

“You know why? Because quiznack, if you had gotten sucked up here without me, I would’ve woken up still back on Earth to the news that my best friend went missing & Lance, I don’t know what I would’ve done.” Hunk sniffled, no longer able to hold back the tears. Lance’s eyes were welling up too. 

“& then you did go missing! You went missing for 2 whole weeks & I was scared shitless about you! I was so scared I was never going to see you again...” He croaked. “God, I’m so sorry, Lance. I’m really fucking sorry & I don’t know how to make it up to you.” He wailed, burying his face in his hands.

Lance rested his own hand on the yellow paladin’s shoulder, giving him a soft smile with tired eyes. “Hey buddy... it’s okay. I-... I forgive you. It’s okay.” 

Hunk took this moment to pull the boy into a large bear hug, squeezing him so tight he heard the boy gasp for air. The yellow paladin just kept on wailing 

Lance’s laugh was like music to his ears. “Okay, okay! I get it buddy, please stop crying!” 

“I can’t! I can’t stop crying, quiznack, Lance, I was so scared for you! You’re the bestest best friend a guy could have & I took that for granted, god I am just so sorry, Lance!” The yellow paladin sniffled, so relieved he was forgiven but still felt the guilt.

“It’s fine, I’m alright, okay? I’m not going anywhere, stop crying or I’m- or I’m going to start crying too, damn it!” Lance choked out a sob. He couldn’t help it. Hunk felt the smaller boy’s body trembling in his arms. 

“I’m really fucking sorry, buddy.” He whispered.

Lance just sighed, sounding a little more relaxed. “I know, I can tell you mean it cause you’ve been cursing & I haven’t heard you cuss since like, the 6th grade when your mom smacked you upside the head with her sandle after she heard you say “shit” in a sentence & it scarred you for life.” 

Hunk chuckled, still keeping his arms wrapped around his buddy, as the other boy patted his back. 

“I know this doesn’t fix everything... & I know it’ll take time but... I- I would really like it if we could have a movie night when you’re feeling up for it? Y’know, just the two of us?” Hunk asked, sheepishly. “There’s a lot we need to catch up on, right?” Hunk added, pulling back to look at his friend.

Lance gave him a soft smile. 

“Sure, I-... I’’d really like that, Hunk...”

”Thanks buddy.” 


	3. It's (Not) Rocket Science

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There wasn’t a step-by-step instruction manual on how to re-build a friendship & gain back the trust of someone you essentially fucked over to the point where they genuinely felt belittled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHAT?
> 
> IT'S TIME FOR LANCE TO SNAP SNAP SNAPPITY SNAP OFF!!!! X
> 
> THE MOMENT WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR,
> 
> it's gonna get worse before it gets better y'all :^)
> 
> ~
> 
> honestly not too sure about how long this fic will end up being but I hope you guys are enjoying the ride! though I did want to center each chapter on a specific character and how they're handling everything that's been going on and realizing that they hurt lance etc, i really don't want each chapter to finish with "rainbows & sunshine, everything is totally okay after you apologized even though i've gotten major depression from all the neglect :^)" kinda thing cause i do want it to be more realistic in that sense!
> 
> definitely reading over everyone's suggestions for inspiration to the direction of where the fic is going, (also don't worry coran is here and plays a special part of the story, just need to figure out how to perfectly execute it x)
> 
> also side note: there will definitely be some klance cause u know i gotta do it to em <3 but for sure, this fic i'm writing isn't centered on their romance! & keith is not completely innocent in this situation, he hurt lance in his own ways too and i will make sure to tackle that as best as i can before their relationship can develop into anything further x

Pidge knew they should apologize. Of course, they should apologize & tell Lance that they had been... _wrong_ , but quiznack, it wasn’t like them to get sentimental & touchy-feely but looking back at it now... they can really see how much of a jerk they had been to the blue paladin.

Sure, Lance could be obnoxious or too loud while they were busy working on projects but he was always there for them when they needed him to be... just like a brother would. Pidge didn’t actually think Lance was stupid but ended up treating him like he was to the point where he actually believed that’s how they felt about him. God, Pidge felt awful & for the first time in their life, they didn’t know how to fix it.

There wasn’t a step-by-step instruction manual on how to re-build a friendship & gain back the trust of someone you essentially fucked over to the point where they genuinely felt belittled.

A few days had gone by since they had found Lance & the tension in the castle ship has been... high, for the lack of a better word. The blue paladin did sit at the table with them during dinners but hardly said a thing, there were times it seemed like he was about to open his mouth to speak but would instantly shut it.

Pidge was smart enough to figure out they had been the most probable cause.

At first, the teasing really had just been harmless. Pidge knew Lance could take a joke, he made countless ones himself, but over time, maybe they had started pushing theirs way too far. Lance never actually told jokes that left them feeling like shit after all but that wasn’t the same case vice versa.

The green paladin had felt completely lost after losing Matt & her dad but Lance seemed to fill that hole in them a little, seeing how much he looked after them, even knocked on their door in the middle of the night from time to time to tell them to get some sleep because Lance knew they were still up at their desk, too immersed in their experiments to keep track of time.

How did they not notice how quiet Lance had become? How did they not realize how much of their stress they took out on him? They blatantly called him dumb, spat out comments that they didn’t think were insensitive, but no... they _had_ hurt Lance’s feelings. He had never _ever_ been the “dumb one,” if anything...

they were.

~

One day, they spotted Lance lounging around on the couch. Pidge wasn’t really sure how to approach the topic so they went with acting like everything was normal at first & believed they could work up to it. When they greeted the blue paladin, they instantly noticed how visibly uncomfortable he looked. He averted his eyes from theirs & his shoulders seemed to slouch in on himself, was he always like this around them? They were sure it hadn’t always been this way.

“Hey.” Pidge said, plopping themselves down on the couch beside him.

“Hi.”

An awkward silence fell between them. Pidge doesn’t remember the last time they’ve felt this nervous. They almost preferred trying to take down a whole Galra fleet single handley instead of trying to find the right words to admit they were wrong.

“Did you get your injuries check out at the med bay yet...?” Pidge pipped; Lance had this hesitant look on his face while they spoke & man... why did it piss them off? Pidge was only asking because they cared, but maybe that was too straight forward & he wasn’t used to it? They tried to go for another approach.

“Cause you still kinda look like shit.” They added, thinking that maybe Lance would chuckle & bite back. Instead, Pidge watched his eyes darken as he took a deep breath & then he glared.

He’s never glared at them like that before, & it left them feeling... _small_.

“Look Pidge, if all you did was come here to fuck with me again, I’m really not in the mood.” He growled lowly as he got off the couch.

Okay, _yikes._

“Aw, C’mon, buddy. I was just teasing why are you being so sensitiv-“

“I am _not_ being sensitive & I am _not_ your buddy!” Lance suddenly screeched, startling the smallest paladin. He looked like he was seeing red.

“Aw, that’s n-not funny, I was just-“

“You think I’m _trying_ to be funny right now, Pidge?! I know you probably see me as a fucking joke & everything but god, for the kid genius you claim you are, you sure can be fucking stupid sometimes!” Lance snarled.

Pidge didn’t know what to do, this wasn’t how it was supposed to go, they couldn’t even process what the quiznack was going on quick enough to figure out what to do. This was different than trying to hack into a Galra ship’s defenses, but why was did it seem harder to just tell Lance they were sorry than that?! To tell Lance they gave a shit because he was like a brother to them?!

Before Pidge could even attempt to turn the conversation around, Lance continued, starting to throw curse words in Spanish towards them viciously.

“All you’ve ever done is look down on me! All you’ve ever fucking done is treat me like I’m a fucking idiot just because I may not know the same stupid science jargon bullshit you do! But guess what, Pidge?! People can be more than that! _I’m_ more than that! I’m so fucking sick of having to feel like I need to say sorry for not acting like a fucking robot you programmed because of your fucking _god_ complex!”

Lance was visibly shaking as he screamed. Cursing as he stepping closer into the green paladin’s space until they found themselves being backed into a corner, completely frozen. Was Lance going to... hit them? No, Lance wouldn’t do-

“Do you know what I had to _go through_ to get into the fucking Garrison?! Do you know what it’s like to have to learn a whole fucking language in the span of the year before you get there just because English isn’t your first one?! Of course, you fucking wouldn’t! Man, _fuck you, Pidge!”_

Lance went on, not affected by the way tears started to prick in the corner of the smaller paladin’s eyes.

“I’ve kept all of this hurt in for so fucking long up just because even though all you’ve ever been is a fucking asshole to me, for some reason, I- I _still_ care about you, Pidge! I still _value_ your feelings, I still _value_ your opinions, despite the fact it’s clear the feeling _isn’t_ mutual!”

Pidge could only choke back their own tears as Lance went off, no one had ever... no one had ever talked to them like that before, not their dad, not even Matt. Out of everyone, Lance was the last person they expected to-

He was like a brother to Pidge, they didn’t mean to go so far and hurt-

“Do you know how smart I am in my own tongue?! Did you know I was fucking top of my class in every school subject as a kid?! I worked _so_ fucking hard to get into the Garrison just like any other student there but god, you, Pidge? You _cheated._ ” He seethed, completely livid.

Pidge wasn’t the only one with tears trickling down their face by this point. They swallowed & searched so hard to find the words.

“Lance, I-“

“What the _hell_ is going on in here?!” Shiro roared, barging in with the rest of the team following close behind him. The paladins froze at the sight of a crying Pidge & a completely murderous-looking Lance cornering them. Lance clicked his tongue giving one last hard look at the green paladin with one more thing to say before getting up & shoving everyone else out of his way to leave the room.

_“ & to think, I actually felt pretty bad for snapping your neck in there.”_

They knew he wasn’t joking.

~

“What the _fuck_?” Keith growled out lowly before turning around in an attempt to chase after Lance.

Pidge’s whole body was still shaking.

“What happened in here? Why did Lance-“ Shiro asked, fully concerned.

“It’s-....” Pidge croaked out weakly. “I-It’s...”

_It’s all my fault._

No matter how much they prided how good they were with their hands, by solving difficult problems, & being analytical, this...

They weren’t sure if their friendship with Lance was something that they could repair.

~

“Lance!” The red paladin yelled out as he caught up to him. The other boy froze in place hearing his voice but didn’t turn back to look at him. “Lance, what- what happened in there? Are you-“ Keith placed his hand on Lance’s shoulder but the blue paladin hissed like he had been burnt by Keith’s touch.

“Can you _not_ do that right now?” The blue-eyed boy cut him off & Keith’s heart stopped when he saw the vicious expression on his face. The daggers in Keith’s usual glares seemed dull compared to the sharp cold look on the other paladin’s face as if those deep blue icy eyes could cut through you in one clean slice.

Keith was frozen as Lance recollected himself, realizing that his conversation with Pidge was already over & now... he just looked hurt. He weakly shoved the red paladin’s hand off his shoulder before walking off. Keith stood there, eyes steady on his back while he watched Lance leave, an empty feeling inside him just kept growing.

~

“I don’t know what to do.” Pidge croaked out; their head hung low as they confided in the other two paladins. Hunk & Shiro sat by them on either side of the couch.

“What did- Lance was yelling... What set him off? Did you-“

“I just- I said the wrong thing.”

“That still didn’t give him the right to-“

“No.” Pidge shook their head & cut off the black paladin. “It did because I had been hurting him this entire time & didn’t realize it. I’ve been...” Pidge swallowed; it had always been so hard to admit when they were wrong. Guess that just came with being known as a kid genius prodigy or whatever. “I was _wrong_. I’ve been saying a lot of messed up shit-“

“Language.” Shiro scolded.

“Messed up... ‘ _stuff_ ’ & all this time, I was hurting his feelings & he kept it bottled up because he didn’t feel like he could even t-talk to me...” Pidge had never felt more ashamed in their entire life. “& I mean, how could he when all I do is... did I really just make fun him every time he tried to speak...? He thinks I think he’s dumb like, he really believes I...” They continued, sniffling.

Hunk placed a gentle hand on their back. “Look, Pidge, I know we both... we’re kind of in the same boat in all of this. Lance needed us & we weren’t... we made him feel like he didn’t matter.” The yellow paladin said, sadly. “I know that maybe... you’re not comfortable with being so open about your feelings & stuff? Especially admitting when you’re wrong but being straight forward is what Lance needs. If you really didn’t mean the things you make fun of him for, you need to be more upfront in your apology...” Hunk enlightened them. “Well, um, that’s what I think at least...”

Pidge just nodded their head, knowing that their friend was right. Pidge fucked up pretty badly compared to the rest of the team in their opinion. Maybe the others might have neglected him in their own way, maybe he didn’t even feel seen but with the green paladin? The way Lance had looked so visibly uncomfortable in their presence told them all they needed to know. When their friend wasn’t busy being neglected, he was belittled, especially by them in particular.

There might not be a step by step instruction manual on how to fix up a friendship but Pidge was at least willing to try. Try & try again until they found a way to succeed. The green paladin told themselves that they shouldn’t be afraid of failure. It was one step closer to getting things right the next time.

Plans to make it up to Lance began reeling in their head for attempt #2 instantly when Shiro suddenly spoke up.

“Do you want me to go & talk to him? I can at least try to cool him down a little... I’ve never seen him like that & I also want to help...”

Hunk shook his head. “I, uh, I’m not really sure if that’s a good idea right now either, Shiro. I don’t think he’d be willing to listen to you.” Hunk replied.

The green paladin looked at him with a confused look on their face that matched the black paladin’s.

“I’ve actually... the day after we got Lance back, I managed to y’know talk to him about some stuff that’s been going on. We’ve really... we put him through a lot y’know? He’s really hurting & even my relationship with him has really... look, I’m doing what I can to gain his trust back even though I may not deserve it. He hasn’t really opened up to me much about how he’s been feeling towards the rest of you but um, with Shiro’s case it’s a little complicated...”

“ _My_ case...?” The oldest boy looked at him with worry as Hunk scratched his head awkwardly.

“I mean, the thing is, it’s not even actually _you_ you that he has a problem with but... uh, he’s kinda...” The yellow paladin sighed. “When we didn’t know we were dealing with a fake Shiro, he was actually really harsh towards Lance... he even yelled at him in front of the whole team before & it really... I could tell it really messed him up.” He said, softly.

The black paladin’s eyes widened in horror to this newfound knowledge.

“Of course, he knows now that it hadn’t actually been _you_ & all but it still hurt him & y’know knowing Lance he wouldn’t tell you that himself.” Hunk mumbled. “He thinks that all those nasty things your clone had told him... he thinks that might still be how you actually feel...”

“I... I had no idea that he- that I had...” The team’s leader looked at his friends with a broken expression on his face. Pidge didn’t have anything to contribute to the conversation, they were of course, shaken to reality after Lance had lashed out at them.

“It’s just, you’re his hero you know? He’s looked up to you ever since we were all at the Garrison & he thinks you _hate_ him & that’s why he... look, I shouldn’t be the one telling you this, I think it’s better if you guys find a way to talk about it...” Hunk said, hoarsely. “& you too...” He said, nudging Pidge gently. All they could do is nod silently.

“I’m... I might have been able to get him to open up a little more after I apologized but I know that things just don’t go back to normal after all we’ve done, y’know? I want to feel like I’m worthy of being Lance’s friend... he’s always been there for me & I want him to know that I’m working on gaining his trust back.” Hunk patted his thighs before getting up. “I thought... we almost _lost_ him guys, he was missing for two weeks...” He had to get out of there because he heard himself start to sniffle.

“I’m _never_ taking him for granted again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> super huge thanks to @katelovesvoltr1 cause her tweets/threads are what's fueling a lot of this fic's scenes hehehehe x


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